The entire Center for Career & Professional Development (CCPD) knows UMW’s students will come through this challenging time with increased resiliency, adaptability, and confidence. There are many reasons for this optimism:
- Local, state, and national employers are still recruiting UMW students and alumni even if they have put immediate hiring on pause temporarily. Employers are looking forward to the end of the outbreak. Here is an informal list of the hiring status for employers around the country.
- Since March 23, over 1,000 new jobs, internships, and other opportunities were posted to Handshake for all UMW students and alumni.
- Employers are connecting with seniors directly in Handshake who make their profiles public. Check out this Handshake article on how to be seen by more employers.
- Alumni are more than ready to connect with students through LinkedIn, especially those who graduated during the great recession (2007-2010).
- Employers are excited to hear students’ stories of resilience, adaptability, and professional development during this time. Developing new skills development is one thing they like to see. There are several free online skills development sites including free access to LinkedInLearning (formerly Lynda.com) from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
- Every Thursday afternoon, CCPD emails one targeted newsletter to Seniors with tips for building skills, networking with professionals, advice from employers, a blog from our Career Coach Mary Becelia, and highlighted jobs
- CCPD is offering 4 options to connect virtually with a career coach or peer career consultant either via Zoom or phone. See below for more info
- In the coming weeks, CCPD will expand the online tools and resources available to students, including a platform for virtual mock interviews
CCPD is ready to support UMW’s students. Below are some of the resources, tools, and services available to all students and alumni.
Handshake: The Career Center’s official job and internship database for students and alumni. Students are encouraged to complete their Handshake profiles, use the tools in the Resources section, and discover new opportunities. Employers are posting internships and jobs daily.
Virtual Drop-Ins: Students can have their questions about internships, virtual job interviews, resumes, cover letters, networking, or other career issues answered by CCPD:
- Career coaches will be available for virtual Drop-ins Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 3-5 p.m. via Zoom (April 7-May 8).
- Join CCPD’s open Q&A sessions on our Instagram stories! Ask us questions and see what others are asking every Monday between 1–3 p.m. Follow our Instagram: @UMW_CCPD to participate.
- Students can also send their cover letters and resumes for review to ccpd@umw.edu.
Career Coaching Appointments: For more detailed questions, interview practice, strategic planning, and other questions, students can schedule a virtual appointment with a Career Coach or Faculty Fellow via Handshake.
Internships: For students currently completing academic internships, CCPD will work with students, employers, and faculty to facilitate successful completion of internships. Please email us your internship questions at ccpd@umw.edu.
Summer Internships: We can provide digital consultations about internship searching as well as financial support for students by way of our internship grants. We can also answer any questions students may have about academic internships during Summer 2020.
Summer 2020 Course Offerings: The Career Center plans to offer two online, for-credit interdisciplinary courses on Career and Professional Development – IDIS 191 and IDIS 193.
Student Newsletters: Every Thursday, the Career Center sends a newsletter to students via email. These newsletters list valuable resources and articles, employer advice, and the latest job and internship opportunities from Handshake.
Social Media: We are actively promoting our services, virtual events, virtual drop–in hours, and resources via our social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Employer Services: We are continuing to offer employers the chance to connect with our students through a variety of outlets: Handshake, Virtual Information Sessions and Virtual Interviews.
Self-Assessment: Looking for ideas on where to start your search? Focus 2 combines several self-assessments, major exploration, career suggestions, and action planning. This is a free service to UMW students.
Quick Tips: Need some tips on your elevator pitch, resume writing, or career exploration? Take a look at the CCPD Tool Kit.